It had, in fact, occurred to her, that though...
It had, in fact, occurred to her, that though taken to Portsmouth
for nothing, it would be hardly possible for her to avoid paying her
own expenses back againSo her poor dear sister Price was left to all
the disappointment of her missing such an opportunity, and another
twenty years’ absence, perhaps, begun
Edmund’s plans were affected by this Portsmouth journey, this
absence of Fanny’sHe too had a sacrifice to make to Mansfield
Park as well as his auntHe had intended, about this time, to be
going to London; but he could not leave his father and mother just
when everybody else of most importance to their comfort was leaving
them; and with an effort, felt but not boasted of, he delayed for
a week or two longer a journey which he was looking forward to
with the hope of its fixing his happiness for everShe knew so much already, that she must
know everythingIt made the substance of one other confidential
discourse about Miss Crawford; and Fanny was the more affected
from feeling it to be the last time in which Miss Crawford’s name
would ever be mentioned between them with any remains of liberty
Once afterwards she was alluded to by himLady Bertram had
been telling her niece in the evening to write to her soon and often,
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and promising to be a good correspondent herself; and Edmund, at
a convenient moment, then added in a whisper, “And I shall write
to you, Fanny, when I have anything worth writing about, anything
to say that I think you will like to hear, and that you will not hear so
soon from any other quarter Had she doubted his meaning while
she listened, the glow in his face, when she looked up at him, would
have been decisive
For this letter she must try to arm herselfThat a letter from
Edmund should be a subject of terror! She began to feel that she
had not yet gone through black prada bag all the changes of opinion and sentiment
which the progress of time and variation of circumstances occasion
in this world of changesThe vicissitudes of the human mind had
not yet been exhausted by her
Poor Fanny! though going as she did willingly and eagerly, the last
evening at Mansfield Park must still be wretchednessHer heart was
completely sad at partingShe had tears for every room in the house,
much more for every beloved inhabitantShe clung to her aunt,
because she would miss her; she kissed the hand of her uncle with
struggling sobs, because she had displeased him; and as for Edmund,
she could neither speak, nor look, nor think, when the last moment
came with him; and it was not till it was over that she knew he was
giving her the affectionate farewell of a brother
All this passed overnight, for the journey was to begin very early
in the morning; and when the small, diminished party met at breakfast,
William and Fanny were talked of as already advanced one
stage
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Mansfield Park
CHAPTER XXXVIII
THE NOVELTY OF TRAVELLING, and the happiness of being with William,
soon produced their natural effect on Fanny’s spirits, when
Mansfield Park was fairly left behind; and by the time their first
stage was ended, and they were to quit Sir Thomas’s carriage, she
was able to take leave of the old coachman, and send back proper
messages, with cheerful looks
Of pleasant talk between the brother and sister there was no end
Everything supplied an amusement to the high glee of William’s
mind, and he was full of frolic and joke in the intervals of their
higher-toned subjects, all of which ended, if they did not begin, in
praise of the Thrush, conjectures how she would be employed,
schemes for an action with some superior force, which (supposing
the first lieutenant out of the way, and William was not rolex cosmograph daytona very merciful
to the first lieutenant) was to give himself the next step as soon
as possible, or speculations upon prize-money, which was to be generously
distributed at home, with only the reservation of enough to
make the little cottage comfortable, in which he and Fanny were to
pass all their middle and later life together
Fanny’s immediate concerns, as far as they involved MrCrawford,
made no part of their conversationWilliam knew what had passed,
and from his heart lamented that his sister’s feelings should be so
cold towards a man whom he must consider as the first of human
characters; but he was of an age to be all for love, and therefore
unable to blame; and knowing her wish on the subject, he would
not distress her by the slightest allusion
She had reason to suppose herself not yet forgotten by MrShe had heard repeatedly from his sister within the three
weeks which had passed since their leaving Mansfield, and in each
letter there had been a few lines from himself, warm and deter327
Jane Austen
mined like his speechesIt was a correspondence which Fanny found
quite as unpleasant as she had fearedMiss Crawford’s style of writing,
lively and affectionate, was itself an evil, independent of what
she was thus forced into reading from the brother’s pen, for Edmund
would never rest till she had read the chief of the letter to him; and
then she had to listen to his admiration of her language, and the
warmth of her attachmentsThere had, in fact, been so much of
message, of allusion, of recollection, so much of Mansfield in every
letter, that Fanny could not but suppose it meant for him to hear;
and to find herself forced into a purpose of that kind, compelled
into a correspondence which was bringing her the addresses of the
man she did not love, and obliging her to administer to the women's rolex watch adverse
passion of the man she did, was cruelly mortifyingHere, too, her
present removal promised advantageWhen no longer under the
same roof with Edmund, she trusted that Miss Crawford would
have no motive for writing strong enough to overcome the trouble,
and that at Portsmouth their correspondence would dwindle into
nothing
With such thoughts as these, among ten hundred others, Fanny
proceeded in her journey safely and cheerfully, and as expeditiously
as could rationally be hoped in the dirty month of FebruaryThey
entered Oxford, but she could take only a hasty glimpse of Edmund’s
college as they passed along, and made no stop anywhere till they
reached Newbury, where a comfortable meal, uniting dinner and
supper, wound up the enjoyments and fatigues of the day
The next morning saw them off again at an early hour; and with
no events, and no delays, they regularly advanced, and were in the
environs of Portsmouth while there was yet daylight for Fanny to
look around her, and wonder at the new buildingsThey passed the
drawbridge, and entered the town; and the light was only beginning
to fail as, guided by William’s powerful voice, they were rattled
into a narrow street, leading from the High Street, and drawn up
before the door of a small house now inhabited by Mr
Fanny was all agitation and flutter; all hope and apprehension
The moment they stopped, a trollopy-looking maidservant, seemingly
in waiting for them at the door, stepped forward, and more
intent on telling the news than giving them any help, immediately
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Mansfield Park
began with, “The Thrush is gone out of harbour, please sir, and one
of the officers has been here to—” She was interrupted by a fine tall
boy of eleven years old, who, rushing out of the house, pushed the
maid aside, and while William was opening the chaise-door rolex watches discount himself,
called out, “You are just in timeWe have been looking for you
this half-hourThe Thrush went out of harbour this morningIt was a beautiful sightAnd they think she will have her orders
in a day or twoCampbell was here at four o’clock to ask
for you: he has got one of the Thrush’s boats, and is going off to her
at six, and hoped you would be here in time to go with him
A stare or two at Fanny, as William helped her out of the carriage,
was all the voluntary notice which this brother bestowed; but he
made no objection to her kissing him, though still entirely engaged
in detailing farther particulars of the Thrush’s going out of harbour,
in which he had a strong right of interest, being to commence his
career of seamanship in her at this very time
Another moment and Fanny was in the narrow entrance-passage
of the house, and in her mother’s arms, who met her there with
looks of true kindness, and with features which Fanny loved the
more, because they brought her aunt Bertram’s before her, and there
were her two sisters: Susan, a well-grown fine girl of fourteen, and
Betsey, the youngest of the family, about five—both glad to see her
in their way, though with no advantage of manner in receiving her
But manner Fanny did not wantWould they but love her, she should
be satisfied
She was then taken into a parlour, so small that her first conviction
was of its being only a passage-room to something better, and
she stood for a moment expecting to be invited on; but when she
saw there was no other door, and that there were signs of habitation
before her, she called back her thoughts, reproved herself, and grieved
lest they should have been suspectedHer mother, however, could
not stay long enough to suspect anythingShe was gone again to the
street-door, to welcome William“Oh! my dear William, how glad
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