coonanbernard

@@@@@ On receiving it, she could instantly decide on its containing little writing, and was persuaded of its having the air of a letter of haste and businessIts object was unquestionable; and two moments were enough to start the probability of its being merely to give her notice that they should be in Portsmouth that very day, and to throw her into all the agitation of doubting what she ought to do in such a caseIf two moments, however, can surround with difficulties, a third can disperse them; and before she had opened the letter, the possibility of Mrand Miss Crawford?s having applied to her uncle and obtained his permission was giving her easeThis was the letter? ?A most scandalous, ill-natured rumour has just reached me, and I write, dear Fanny, to warn you against giving the least credit to it, should it spread into the countryDepend upon it, there is some mistake, and that a day or two will clear it up; at any rate, that Henry is blameless, and in spite of a moment?s etourderie, thinks of nobody but youSay not a word of it; hear nothing, surmise nothing, whisper nothing till I write againI am sure it will be all hushed up, and nothing proved but Rushworth?s follyIf they are gone, I would lay my life they are only gone to Mansfield Park, and Julia with themBut why would not you let us come for you? I wish you may not repent itAs no scandalous, ill-natured rumour had reached her, it was impossible for her to understand much of this strange letterShe could only perceive that it must relate to Wimpole 384 Mansfield Park Street and MrCrawford, and only conjecture that something very imprudent had just occurred in that quarter to draw the notice of the world, and to excite her jealousy, in Miss Crawford?s apprehension, if she heard itMiss Crawford need not be alarmed for herShe was only sorry for the parties concerned and for Mansfield, if the report should spread so far; but she hoped it might notIf the Rushworths were gone themselves to Mansfield, as was to be inferred from what Miss Crawford said, it was not likely that anything unpleasant should have preceded them, or at least should make any impressionCrawford, she hoped it might give him a knowledge of his own disposition, convince him that he was not capable of being steadily attached to any one woman in the world, and shame him from persisting any longer in addressing herself It was very strange! She had begun to think he really loved her, and to fancy his affection for her something more than common; and his sister still said that he cared for nobody elseYet there must have been some marked display of attentions to her cousin, there must have been some strong indiscretion, since her correspondent was not of a sort to regard a slight one Very uncomfortable she was, and must continue, till she heard from Miss Crawford againIt was impossible to banish the letter from her thoughts, and she could not relieve herself by speaking of it to any human beingMiss Crawford need not have urged secrecy with so much warmth; she might have trusted to her sense of what was due to her cousin The next day came and brought no second letterFanny was disappointed She could still think of little else all the morning; but, when her father came back in the afternoon with the daily newspaper as usual, she was so far from expecting any elucidation through such a channel that the subject was for a moment out of her hea