Classic

CHAPTER?XLVIII Let?other?pens?dwell?on?guilt?and?misery.?I?quit?such?odious?subjects?as?soon?as?I?can,?impatient?to?restore?everybody,?not?greatly?in?fault?themselves,?to?tolerable?comfort,?and?to?have?done?with?all?the?rest. My?Fanny,?indeed,?at?this?very?time,?I?have?the?satisfaction?of?knowing,?must?have?been?happy?in?spite?of?everything.?She?must?have?been?a?happy?creature?in?spite?of?all?that?she?felt,?or?thought?she?felt,?for?the?distress?of?those?around?her.?She?had?sources?of?delight?that?must?force?their?way.?She?was?returned?to?Mansfield?Park,?she?was?useful,?she?was?beloved;?she?was?safe?from?Mr.?Crawford;?and?when?Sir?Thomas?came?back?she?had?every?proof?that?could?be?given?in?his?then?melancholy?state?of?spirits,?of?his?perfect?approbation?and?increased?regard;?and?happy?as?all?this?must?make?her,?she?would?still?have?been?happy?without?any?of?it,?for?Edmund?was?no?longer?the?dupe?of?Miss?Crawford. It?is?true?that?Edmund?was?very?far?from?happy?himself.?He?was?suffering?from?disappointment?and?regret,?grieving?over?what?was,?and?wishing?for?what?could?never?be.?She?knew?it?was?so,?and?was?sorry;?but?it?was?with?a?sorrow?so?founded?on?satisfaction,?so?tending?to?ease,?and?so?much?in?harmony?with?every?dearest?sensation,?that?there?are?few?who?might?not?have?been?glad?to?exchange?their?greatest?gaiety?for?it. Sir?Thomas,?poor?Sir?Thomas,?a?parent,?and?conscious?of?errors?in?his?own?conduct?as?a?parent,?was?the?longest?to?suffer.?He?felt?that?he?ought?not?to?have?allowed?the?marriage;?that?his?daughter’s?sentiments?had?been?sufficiently?known?to?him?to?render?him?culpable?in?authorising?it;?that?in?so?doing?he?had?sacrificed?the?right?to?the?expedient,?and?been?governed?by?motives?of?selfishness?and?worldly?wisdom.?These?were?reflections?that?required?some?time?to?soften;?but?time?will?do?almost?everything;?and?though?little?comfort?arose?on?Mrs.?Rushworth’s?side?for?the?misery?she?had?occasioned,?comfort?was?to?be?found?greater?than?he?had?supposed?in?his?other?children.?Julia’s?match?became?a?less?desperate?business?than?he?had?considered?it?at?first.?She?was?humble,?and?wishing?to?be?forgiven;?and?Mr.?Yates,?desirous?of?being?really?received?into?the?family,?was?disposed?to?look?up?to?him?and?be?guided.?He?was?not?very?solid;?but?there?was?a?hope?of?his?becoming?less?trifling,?of?his?being?at?least?tolerably?domestic?and?quiet;?and?at?any?rate,?there?was?comfort?in?finding?his?estate?rather?more,?and?his?debts?much?less,?than?he?had?feared,?and?in?being?consulted?and?treated?as?the?friend?best?worth?attending?to.?There?was?comfort?also?in?Tom,?who?gradually?regained?his?health,?without?regaining?the?thoughtlessness?and?selfishness?of?his?previous?habits.?He?was?the?better?for?ever?for?his?illness.?He?had?suffered,?and?he?had?learned?to?think:?two?advantages?that?he?had?never?known?before;?and?the?self-reproach?arising?from?the?deplorable?event?in?Wimpole?Street,?to?which?he?felt?himself?accessory?by?all?the?dangerous?intimacy?of?his?unjustifiable?theatre,?made?an?impression?on?his?mind?which,?at?the?age?of?six-and-twenty,?with?no?want?of?sense?or?good?companions,?was?durable?in?its?happy?effects.?He?became?what?he?ought?to?be:?useful?to?his?father,?steady?and?quiet,?and?not?living?merely?for?himself. Here?was?comfort?indeed!?and?quite?as?soon?as?Sir?Thomas?could?place?dependence?on?such?sources?of?good,?Edmund?was?contributing?to?his?father’s?ease?by?improvement?in?the?only?point?in?which?he?had?given?him?pain?before?improvement?in?his?spirits.?After?wandering?about?and?sitting?under?trees?with?Fanny?all?the?summer?evenings,?he?had?so?well?talked?his?mind?into?submission?as?to?be?very?tolerably?cheerful?again. These?were?the?circumstances?and?the?hopes?which?gradually?brought?their?alleviation?to?Sir?Thomas,?deadening?his?sense?of?what?was?lost,?and?in?part?reconciling?him?to?himself;?though?the?anguish?arising?from?the?conviction?of?his?own?errors?in?the?education?of?his?daughters?was?never?to?be?entirely?done?away. Too?late?he?became?aware?how?unfavourable?to?the?character?of?any?young?people?must?be?the?totally?opposite?treatment?which?Maria?and?Julia?had?been?always?experiencing?at?home,?where?the?excessive?indulgence?and?flattery?of?their?aunt?had?been?continually?contrasted?with?his?own?severity.?He?saw?how?ill?he?had?judged,?in?expecting?to?counteract?what?was?wrong?in?Mrs.?Norris?by?its?reverse?in?himself;?clearly?saw?that?he?had?but?increased?the?evil?by?teaching?them?to?repress?their?spirits?in?his?presence?so?as?to?make?their?real?disposition?unknown?to?him,?and?sending?them?for?all?their?indulgences?to?a?person?who?had?been?able?to?attach?them?only?by?the?blindness?of?her?affection,?and?the?excess?of?her?praise. Here?had?been?grievous?mismanagement;?but,?bad?as?it?was,?he?gradually?grew?to?feel?that?it?had?not?been?the?most?direful?mistake?in?his?plan?of?education.?Something?must?have?been?wanting?within,?or?time?would?have?worn?away?much?of?its?ill?effect.?He?feared?that?principle,?active?principle,?had?been?wanting;?that?they?had?never?been?properly?taught?to?govern?their?inclinations?and?tempers?by?that?sense?of?duty?which?can?alone?suffice.?They?had?been?instructed?theoretically?in?their?religion,?but?never?required?to?bring?it?into?daily?practice.?To?be?distinguished?for?elegance?and?accomplishments,?the?authorised?object?of?their?youth,?could?have?had?no?useful?influence?that?way,?no?moral?effect?on?the?mind.?He?had?meant?them?to?be?good,?but?his?cares?had?been?directed?to?the?understanding?and?manners,?not?the?disposition;?and?of?the?necessity?of?self-denial?and?humility,?he?feared?they?had?never?heard?from?any?lips?that?could?profit?them. Bitterly?did?he?deplore?a?deficiency?which?now?he?could?scarcely?comprehend?to?have?been?possible.?Wretchedly?did?he?feel,?that?with?all?the?cost?and?care?of?an?anxious?and?expensive?education,?he?had?brought?up?his?daughters?without?their?understanding?their?first?duties,?or?his?being?acquainted?with?their?character?and?temper. The?high?spirit?and?strong?passions?of?Mrs.?Rushworth,?especially,?were?made?known?to?him?only?in?their?sad?result.?She?was?not?to?be?prevailed?on?to?leave?Mr.?Crawford.?She?hoped?to?marry?him,?and?they?continued?together?till?she?was?obliged?to?be?convinced?that?such?hope?was?vain,?and?till?the?disappointment?and?wretchedness?arising?from?the?conviction?rendered?her?temper?so?bad,?and?her?feelings?for?him?so?like?hatred,?as?to?make?them?for?a?while?each?other’s?punishment,?and?then?induce?a?voluntary?separation. She?had?lived?with?him?to?be?reproached?as?the?ruin?of?all?his?happiness?in?Fanny,?and?carried?away?no?better?consolation?in?leaving?him?than?that?she?had?divided?them.?What?can?exceed?the?misery?of?such?a?mind?in?such?a?situation? Mr.?Rushworth?had?no?difficulty?in?procuring?a?divorce;?and?so?ended?a?marriage?contracted?under?such?circumstances?as?to?make?any?better?end?the?effect?of?good?luck?not?to?be?reckoned?on.?She?had?despised?him,?and?loved?another;?and?he?had?been?very?much?aware?that?it?was?so.?The?indignities?of?stupidity,?and?the?disappointments?of?selfish?passion,?can?excite?little?pity.?His?punishment?followed?his?conduct,?as?did?a?deeper?punishment?the?deeper?guilt?of?his?wife.?He?was?released?from?the?engagement?to?be?mortified?and?unhappy,?till?some?other?pretty?girl?could?attract?him?into?matrimony?again,?and?he?might?set?forward?on?a?second,?and,?it?is?to?be?hoped,?more?prosperous?trial?of?the?state:?if?duped,?to?be?duped?at?least?with?good?humour?and?good?luck;?while?she?must?withdraw?with?infinitely?stronger?feelings?to?a?retirement?and?reproach?which?could?allow?no?second?spring?of?hope?or?character. Where?she?could?be?placed?became?a?subject?of?most?melancholy?and?momentous?consultation.?Mrs.?Norris,?whose?attachment?seemed?to?augment?with?the?demerits?of?her?niece,?would?have?had?her?received?at?home?and?countenanced?by?them?all.?Sir?Thomas?would?not?hear?of?it;?and?Mrs.?Norris’s?anger?against?Fanny?was?so?much?the?greater,?from?considering?her?residence?there?as?the?motive.?She?persisted?in?placing?his?scruples?to?her?account,?though?Sir?Thomas?very?solemnly?assured?her?that,?had?there?been?no?young?woman?in?question,?had?there?been?no?young?person?of?either?sex?belonging?to?him,?to?be?endangered?by?the?society?or?hurt?by?the?character?of?Mrs.?Rushworth,?he?would?never?have?offered?so?great?an?insult?to?the?neighbourhood?as?to?expect?it?to?notice?her.?As?a?daughter,?he?hoped?a?penitent?one,?she?should?be?protected?by?him,?and?secured?in?every?comfort,?and?supported?by?every?encouragement?to?do?right,?which?their?relative?situations?admitted;?but?farther?than?that?he?could?not?go.?Maria?had?destroyed?her?own?character,?and?he?would?not,?by?a?vain?attempt?to?restore?what?never?could?be?restored,?by?affording?his?sanction?to?vice,?or?in?seeking?to?lessen?its?disgrace,?be?anywise?accessory?to?introducing?such?misery?in?another?man’s?family?as?he?had?known?himself. It?ended?in?Mrs.?Norris’s?resolving?to?quit?Mansfield?and?devote?herself?to?her?unfortunate?Maria,?and?in?an?establishment?being?formed?for?them?in?another?country,?remote?and?private,?where,?shut?up?together?with?little?society,?on?one?side?no?affection,?on?the?other?no?judgment,?it?may?be?reasonably?supposed?that?their?tempers?became?their?mutual?punishment. Mrs.?Norris’s?removal?from?Mansfield?was?the?great?supplementary?comfort?of?Sir?Thomas’s?life.?His?opinion?of?her?had?been?sinking?from?the?day?of?his?return?from?Antigua:?in?every?transaction?together?from?that?period,?in?their?daily?intercourse,?in?business,?or?in?chat,?she?had?been?regularly?losing?ground?in?his?esteem,?and?convincing?him?that?either?time?had?done?her?much?disservice,?or?that?he?had?considerably?over-rated?her?sense,?and?wonderfully?borne?with?her?manners?before.?He?had?felt?her?as?an?hourly?evil,?which?was?so?much?the?worse,?as?there?seemed?no?chance?of?its?ceasing?but?with?life;?she?seemed?a?part?of?himself?that?must?be?borne?for?ever.?To?be?relieved?from?her,?therefore,?was?so?great?a?felicity?that,?had?she?not?left?bitter?remembrances?behind?her,?there?might?have?been?danger?of?his?learning?almost?to?approve?the?evil?which?produced?such?a?good. She?was?regretted?by?no?one?at?Mansfield.?She?had?never?been?able?to?attach?even?those?she?loved?best;?and?since?Mrs.?Rushworth’s?elopement,?her?temper?had?been?in?a?state?of?such?irritation?as?to?make?her?everywhere?tormenting.?Not?even?Fanny?had?tears?for?aunt?Norris,?not?even?when?she?was?gone?for?ever. That?Julia?escaped?better?than?Maria?was?owing,?in?some?measure,?to?a?favourable?difference?of?disposition?and?circumstance,?but?in?a?greater?to?her?having?been?less?the?darling?of?that?very?aunt,?less?flattered?and?less?spoilt.?Her?beauty?and?acquirements?had?held?but?a?second?place.?She?had?been?always?used?to?think?herself?a?little?inferior?to?Maria.?Her?temper?was?naturally?the?easiest?of?the?two;?her?feelings,?though?quick,?were?more?controllable,?and?education?had?not?given?her?so?very?hurtful?a?degree?of?self-consequence. She?had?submitted?the?best?to?the?disappointment?in?Henry?Crawford.?After?the?first?bitterness?of?the?conviction?of?being?slighted?was?over,?she?had?been?tolerably?soon?in?a?fair?way?of?not?thinking?of?him?again;?and?when?the?acquaintance?was?renewed?in?town,?and?Mr.?Rushworth’s?house?became?Crawford’s?object,?she?had?had?the?merit?of?withdrawing?herself?from?it,?and?of?chusing?that?time?to?pay?a?visit?to?her?other?friends,?in?order?to?secure?herself?from?being?again?too?much?attracted.?This?had?been?her?motive?in?going?to?her?cousin’s.?Mr.?Yates’s?convenience?had?had?nothing?to?do?with?it.?She?had?been?allowing?his?attentions?some?time,?but?with?very?little?idea?of?ever?accepting?him;?and?had?not?her?sister’s?conduct?burst?forth?as?it?did,?and?her?increased?dread?of?her?father?and?of?home,?on?that?event,?imagining?its?certain?consequence?to?herself?would?be?greater?severity?and?restraint,?made?her?hastily?resolve?on?avoiding?such?immediate?horrors?at?all?risks,?it?is?probable?that?Mr.?Yates?would?never?have?succeeded.?She?had?not?eloped?with?any?worse?feelings?than?those?of?selfish?alarm.?It?had?appeared?to?her?the?only?thing?to?be?done.?Maria’s?guilt?had?induced?Julia’s?folly. Henry?Crawford,?ruined?by?early?independence?and?bad?domestic?example,?indulged?in?the?freaks?of?a?cold-blooded?vanity?a?little?too?long.?Once?it?had,?by?an?opening?undesigned?and?unmerited,?led?him?into?the?way?of?happiness.?Could?he?have?been?satisfied?with?the?conquest?of?one?amiable?woman’s?affections,?could?he?have?found?sufficient?exultation?in?overcoming?the?reluctance,?in?working?himself?into?the?esteem?and?tenderness?of?Fanny?Price,?there?would?have?been?every?probability?of?success?and?felicity?for?him.?His?affection?had?already?done?something.?Her?influence?over?him?had?already?given?him?some?influence?over?her.?Would?he?have?deserved?more,?there?can?be?no?doubt?that?more?would?have?been?obtained,?especially?when?that?marriage?had?taken?place,?which?would?have?given?him?the?assistance?of?her?conscience?in?subduing?her?first?inclination,?and?brought?them?very?often?together.?Would?he?have?persevered,?and?uprightly,?Fanny?must?have?been?his?reward,?and?a?reward?very?voluntarily?bestowed,?within?a?reasonable?period?from?Edmund’s?marrying?Mary. Had?he?done?as?he?intended,?and?as?he?knew?he?ought,?by?going?down?to?Everingham?after?his?return?from?Portsmouth,?he?might?have?been?deciding?his?own?happy?destiny.?But?he?was?pressed?to?stay?for?Mrs.?Fraser’s?party;?his?staying?was?made?of?flattering?consequence,?and?he?was?to?meet?Mrs.?Rushworth?there.?Curiosity?and?vanity?were?both?engaged,?and?the?temptation?of?immediate?pleasure?was?too?strong?for?a?mind?unused?to?make?any?sacrifice?to?right:?he?resolved?to?defer?his?Norfolk?journey,?resolved?that?writing?should?answer?the?purpose?of?it,?or?that?its?purpose?was?unimportant,?and?staid.?He?saw?Mrs.?Rushworth,?was?received?by?her?with?a?coldness?which?ought?to?have?been?repulsive,?and?have?established?apparent?indifference?between?them?for?ever;?but?he?was?mortified,?he?could?not?bear?to?be?thrown?off?by?the?woman?whose?smiles?had?been?so?wholly?at?his?command:?he?must?exert?himself?to?subdue?so?proud?a?display?of?resentment;?it?was?anger?on?Fanny’s?account;?he?must?get?the?better?of?it,?and?make?Mrs.?Rushworth?Maria?Bertram?again?in?her?treatment?of?himself. In?this?spirit?he?began?the?attack,?and?by?animated?perseverance?had?soon?re-established?the?sort?of?familiar?intercourse,?of?gallantry,?of?flirtation,?which?bounded?his?views;?but?in?triumphing?over?the?discretion?which,?though?beginning?in?anger,?might?have?saved?them?both,?he?had?put?himself?in?the?power?of?feelings?on?her?side?more?strong?than?he?had?supposed.?She?loved?him;?there?was?no?withdrawing?attentions?avowedly?dear?to?her.?He?was?entangled?by?his?own?vanity,?with?as?little?excuse?of?love?as?possible,?and?without?the?smallest?inconstancy?of?mind?towards?her?cousin.?To?keep?Fanny?and?the?Bertrams?from?a?knowledge?of?what?was?passing?became?his?first?object.?Secrecy?could?not?have?been?more?desirable?for?Mrs.?Rushworth’s?credit?than?he?felt?it?for?his?own.?When?he?returned?from?Richmond,?he?would?have?been?glad?to?see?Mrs.?Rushworth?no?more.?All?that?followed?was?the?result?of?her?imprudence;?and?he?went?off?with?her?at?last,?because?he?could?not?help?it,?regretting?Fanny?even?at?the?moment,?but?regretting?her?infinitely?more?when?all?the?bustle?of?the?intrigue?was?over,?and?a?very?few?months?had?taught?him,?by?the?force?of?contrast,?to?place?a?yet?higher?value?on?the?sweetness?of?her?temper,?the?purity?of?her?mind,?and?the?excellence?of?her?principles. That?punishment,?the?public?punishment?of?disgrace,?should?in?a?just?measure?attend?his?share?of?the?offence?is,?we?know,?not?one?of?the?barriers?which?society?gives?to?virtue.?In?this?world?the?penalty?is?less?equal?than?could?be?wished;?but?without?presuming?to?look?forward?to?a?juster?appointment?hereafter,?we?may?fairly?consider?a?man?of?sense,?like?Henry?Crawford,?to?be?providing?for?himself?no?small?portion?of?vexation?and?regret:?vexation?that?must?rise?sometimes?to?self-reproach,?and?regret?to?wretchedness,?in?having?so?requited?hospitality,?so?injured?family?peace,?so?forfeited?his?best,?most?estimable,?and?endeared?acquaintance,?and?so?lost?the?woman?whom?he?had?rationally?as?well?as?passionately?loved. After?what?had?passed?to?wound?and?alienate?the?two?families,?the?continuance?of?the?Bertrams?and?Grants?in?such?close?neighbourhood?would?have?been?most?distressing;?but?the?absence?of?the?latter,?for?some?months?purposely?lengthened,?ended?very?fortunately?in?the?necessity,?or?at?least?the?practicability,?of?a?permanent?removal.?Dr.?Grant,?through?an?interest?on?which?he?had?almost?ceased?to?form?hopes,?succeeded?to?a?stall?in?Westminster,?which,?as?affording?an?occasion?for?leaving?Mansfield,?an?excuse?for?residence?in?London,?and?an?increase?of?income?to?answer?the?expenses?of?the?change,?was?highly?acceptable?to?those?who?went?and?those?who?staid. Mrs.?Grant,?with?a?temper?to?love?and?be?loved,?must?have?gone?with?some?regret?from?the?scenes?and?people?she?had?been?used?to;?but?the?same?happiness?of?disposition?must?in?any?place,?and?any?society,?secure?her?a?great?deal?to?enjoy,?and?she?had?again?a?home?to?offer?Mary;?and?Mary?had?had?enough?of?her?own?friends,?enough?of?vanity,?ambition,?love,?and?disappointment?in?the?course?of?the?last?half-year,?to?be?in?need?of?the?true?kindness?of?her?sister’s?heart,?and?the?rational?tranquillity?of?her?ways.?They?lived?together;?and?when?Dr.?Grant?had?brought?on?apoplexy?and?death,?by?three?great?institutionary?dinners?in?one?week,?they?still?lived?together;?for?Mary,?though?perfectly?resolved?against?ever?attaching?herself?to?a?younger?brother?again,?was?long?in?finding?among?the?dashing?representatives,?or?idle?heir-apparents,?who?were?at?the?command?of?her?beauty,?and?her??20,000,?any?one?who?could?satisfy?the?better?taste?she?had?acquired?at?Mansfield,?whose?character?and?manners?could?authorise?a?hope?of?the?domestic?happiness?she?had?there?learned?to?estimate,?or?put?Edmund?Bertram?sufficiently?out?of?her?head. Edmund?had?greatly?the?advantage?of?her?in?this?respect.?He?had?not?to?wait?and?wish?with?vacant?affections?for?an?object?worthy?to?succeed?her?in?them.?Scarcely?had?he?done?regretting?Mary?Crawford,?and?observing?to?Fanny?how?impossible?it?was?that?he?should?ever?meet?with?such?another?woman,?before?it?began?to?strike?him?whether?a?very?different?kind?of?woman?might?not?do?just?as?well,?or?a?great?deal?better:?whether?Fanny?herself?were?not?growing?as?dear,?as?important?to?him?in?all?her?smiles?and?all?her?ways,?as?Mary?Crawford?had?ever?been;?and?whether?it?might?not?be?a?possible,?an?hopeful?undertaking?to?persuade?her?that?her?warm?and?sisterly?regard?for?him?would?be?foundation?enough?for?wedded?love. I?purposely?abstain?from?dates?on?this?occasion,?that?every?one?may?be?at?liberty?to?fix?their?own,?aware?that?the?cure?of?unconquerable?passions,?and?the?transfer?of?unchanging?attachments,?must?vary?much?as?to?time?in?different?people.?I?only?entreat?everybody?to?believe?that?exactly?at?the?time?when?it?was?quite?natural?that?it?should?be?so,?and?not?a?week?earlier,?Edmund?did?cease?to?care?about?Miss?Crawford,?and?became?as?anxious?to?marry?Fanny?as?Fanny?herself?could?desire. With?such?a?regard?for?her,?indeed,?as?his?had?long?been,?a?regard?founded?on?the?most?endearing?claims?of?innocence?and?helplessness,?and?completed?by?every?recommendation?of?growing?worth,?what?could?be?more?natural?than?the?change??Loving,?guiding,?protecting?her,?as?he?had?been?doing?ever?since?her?being?ten?years?old,?her?mind?in?so?great?a?degree?formed?by?his?care,?and?her?comfort?depending?on?his?kindness,?an?object?to?him?of?such?close?and?peculiar?interest,?dearer?by?all?his?own?importance?with?her?than?any?one?else?at?Mansfield,?what?was?there?now?to?add,?but?that?he?should?learn?to?prefer?soft?light?eyes?to?sparkling?dark?ones.?And?being?always?with?her,?and?always?talking?confidentially,?and?his?feelings?exactly?in?that?favourable?state?which?a?recent?disappointment?gives,?those?soft?light?eyes?could?not?be?very?long?in?obtaining?the?pre-eminence. Having?once?set?out,?and?felt?that?he?had?done?so?on?this?road?to?happiness,?there?was?nothing?on?the?side?of?prudence?to?stop?him?or?make?his?progress?slow;?no?doubts?of?her?deserving,?no?fears?of?opposition?of?taste,?no?need?of?drawing?new?hopes?of?happiness?from?dissimilarity?of?temper.?Her?mind,?disposition,?opinions,?and?habits?wanted?no?half-concealment,?no?self-deception?on?the?present,?no?reliance?on?future?improvement.?Even?in?the?midst?of?his?late?infatuation,?he?had?acknowledged?Fanny’s?mental?superiority.?What?must?be?his?sense?of?it?now,?therefore??She?was?of?course?only?too?good?for?him;?but?as?nobody?minds?having?what?is?too?good?for?them,?he?was?very?steadily?earnest?in?the?pursuit?of?the?blessing,?and?it?was?not?possible?that?encouragement?from?her?should?be?long?wanting.?Timid,?anxious,?doubting?as?she?was,?it?was?still?impossible?that?such?tenderness?as?hers?should?not,?at?times,?hold?out?the?strongest?hope?of?success,?though?it?remained?for?a?later?period?to?tell?him?the?whole?delightful?and?astonishing?truth.?His?happiness?in?knowing?himself?to?have?been?so?long?the?beloved?of?such?a?heart,?must?have?been?great?enough?to?warrant?any?strength?of?language?in?which?he?could?clothe?it?to?her?or?to?himself;?it?must?have?been?a?delightful?happiness.?But?there?was?happiness?elsewhere?which?no?description?can?reach.?Let?no?one?presume?to?give?the?feelings?of?a?young?woman?on?receiving?the?assurance?of?that?affection?of?which?she?has?scarcely?allowed?herself?to?entertain?a?hope. Their?own?inclinations?ascertained,?there?were?no?difficulties?behind,?no?drawback?of?poverty?or?parent.?It?was?a?match?which?Sir?Thomas’s?wishes?had?even?forestalled.?Sick?of?ambitious?and?mercenary?connexions,?prizing?more?and?more?the?sterling?good?of?principle?and?temper,?and?chiefly?anxious?to?bind?by?the?strongest?securities?all?that?remained?to?him?of?domestic?felicity,?he?had?pondered?with?genuine?satisfaction?on?the?more?than?possibility?of?the?two?young?friends?finding?their?natural?consolation?in?each?other?for?all?that?had?occurred?of?disappointment?to?either;?and?the?joyful?consent?which?met?Edmund’s?application,?the?high?sense?of?having?realised?a?great?acquisition?in?the?promise?of?Fanny?for?a?daughter,?formed?just?such?a?contrast?with?his?early?opinion?on?the?subject?when?the?poor?little?girl’s?coming?had?been?first?agitated,?as?time?is?for?ever?producing?between?the?plans?and?decisions?of?mortals,?for?their?own?instruction,?and?their?neighbours’?entertainment. Fanny?was?indeed?the?daughter?that?he?wanted.?His?charitable?kindness?had?been?rearing?a?prime?comfort?for?himself.?His?liberality?had?a?rich?repayment,?and?the?general?goodness?of?his?intentions?by?her?deserved?it.?He?might?have?made?her?childhood?happier;?but?it?had?been?an?error?of?judgment?only?which?had?given?him?the?appearance?of?harshness,?and?deprived?him?of?her?early?love;?and?now,?on?really?knowing?each?other,?their?mutual?attachment?became?very?strong.?After?settling?her?at?Thornton?Lacey?with?every?kind?attention?to?her?comfort,?the?object?of?almost?every?day?was?to?see?her?there,?or?to?get?her?away?from?it. Selfishly?dear?as?she?had?long?been?to?Lady?Bertram,?she?could?not?be?parted?with?willingly?by?her.?No?happiness?of?son?or?niece?could?make?her?wish?the?marriage.?But?it?was?possible?to?part?with?her,?because?Susan?remained?to?supply?her?place.?Susan?became?the?stationary?niece,?delighted?to?be?so;?and?equally?well?adapted?for?it?by?a?readiness?of?mind,?and?an?inclination?for?usefulness,?as?Fanny?had?been?by?sweetness?of?temper,?and?strong?feelings?of?gratitude.?Susan?could?never?be?spared.?First?as?a?comfort?to?Fanny,?then?as?an?auxiliary,?and?last?as?her?substitute,?she?was?established?at?Mansfield,?with?every?appearance?of?equal?permanency.?Her?more?fearless?disposition?and?happier?nerves?made?everything?easy?to?her?there.?With?quickness?in?understanding?the?tempers?of?those?she?had?to?deal?with,?and?no?natural?timidity?to?restrain?any?consequent?wishes,?she?was?soon?welcome?and?useful?to?all;?and?after?Fanny’s?removal?succeeded?so?naturally?to?her?influence?over?the?hourly?comfort?of?her?aunt,?as?gradually?to?become,?perhaps,?the?most?beloved?of?the?two.?In?her?usefulness,?in?Fanny’s?excellence,?in?William’s?continued?good?conduct?and?rising?fame,?and?in?the?general?well-doing?and?success?of?the?other?members?of?the?family,?all?assisting?to?advance?each?other,?and?doing?credit?to?his?countenance?and?aid,?Sir?Thomas?saw?repeated,?and?for?ever?repeated,?reason?to?rejoice?in?what?he?had?done?for?them?all,?and?acknowledge?the?advantages?of?early?hardship?and?discipline,?and?the?consciousness?of?being?born?to?struggle?and?endure. With?so?much?true?merit?and?true?love,?and?no?want?of?fortune?and?friends,?the?happiness?of?the?married?cousins?must?appear?as?secure?as?earthly?happiness?can?be.?Equally?formed?for?domestic?life,?and?attached?to?country?pleasures,?their?home?was?the?home?of?affection?and?comfort;?and?to?complete?the?picture?of?good,?the?acquisition?of?Mansfield?living,?by?the?death?of?Dr.?Grant,?occurred?just?after?they?had?been?married?long?enough?to?begin?to?want?an?increase?of?income,?and?feel?their?distance?from?the?paternal?abode?an?inconvenience. On?that?event?they?removed?to?Mansfield;?and?the?Parsonage?there,?which,?under?each?of?its?two?former?owners,?Fanny?had?never?been?able?to?approach?but?with?some?painful?sensation?of?restraint?or?alarm,?soon?grew?as?dear?to?her?heart,?and?as?thoroughly?perfect?in?her?eyes,?as?everything?else?within?the?view?and?patronage?of?Mansfield?Park?had?long?been. THE?END

CHAPTER XLVII It had been a miserable party, each of the three believing themselves most miserable. Mrs. Norris, however, as most attached to Maria, was really the greatest sufferer. Maria was her first favourite, the dearest of all; the match had been her own contriving, as she had been wont […]

CHAPTER XLVI As Fanny could not doubt that her answer was conveying a real disappointment, she was rather in expectation, from her knowledge of Miss Crawford’s temper, of being urged again; and though no second letter arrived for the space of a week, she had still the same feeling when […]