@@@@@
Her disappointment in her mother was greater: there she had hoped
much, and found almost nothingEvery flattering scheme of being
of consequence to her soon fell to the groundPrice was not
unkind; but, instead of gaining on her affection and confidence,
and becoming more and more dear, her daughter never met with
greater kindness from her than on the first day of her arrivalThe
instinct of nature was soon satisfied, and MrsPrice?s attachment
had no other sourceHer heart and her time were already quite full;
she had neither leisure nor affection to bestow on FannyHer daughters
never had been much to herShe was fond of her sons, especially
of William, but Betsey was the first of her girls whom she had
ever much regardedTo her she was most injudiciously indulgent
William was her pride; Betsey her darling; and John, Richard, Sam,
Tom, and Charles occupied all the rest of her maternal solicitude,
alternately her worries and her comfortsThese shared her heart:
her time was given chiefly to her house and her servantsHer days
were spent in a kind of slow bustle; all was busy without getting
on, always behindhand and lamenting it, without altering her ways;
wishing to be an economist, without contrivance or regularity;
dissatisfied with her servants, without skill to make them better,
and whether helping, or reprimanding, or indulging them, without
any power of engaging their respect
Of her two sisters, MrsPrice very much more resembled Lady
Bertram than MrsShe was a manager by necessity, without
any of MrsNorris?s inclination for it, or any of her activity
Her disposition was naturally easy and indolent, like Lady
Bertram?s; and a situation of similar affluence and do-nothingness
would have been much more suited to her capacity than the
340
Mansfield Park
exertions and self-denials of the one which her imprudent marriage
had placed her inShe might have made just as good a
woman of consequence as Lady Bertram, but MrsNorris would
have been a more respectable mother of nine children on a small
income
Much of all this Fanny could not but be sensible ofShe might
scruple to make use of the words, but she must and did feel that her
mother was a partial, ill-judging parent, a dawdle, a slattern, who
neither taught nor restrained her children, whose house was the
scene of mismanagement and discomfort from beginning to end,
and who had no talent, no conversation, no affection towards herself;
no curiosity to know her better, no desire of her friendship, and
no inclination for her company that could lessen her sense of such
feelings
Fanny was very anxious to be useful, and not to appear above her
home, or in any way disqualified or disinclined, by her foreign education,
from contributing her help to its comforts, and therefore set
about working for Sam immediately; and by working early and late,
with perseverance and great despatch, did so much that the boy was
shipped off at last, with more than half his linen readyShe had
great pleasure in feeling her usefulness, but could not conceive how
they would have managed without her
Sam, loud and overbearing as he was, she rather regretted when
he went, for he was clever and intelligent, and glad to be employed
in any errand in the town; and though spurning the remonstrances
of Susan, given as they were, though very reasonable in themselves,
with ill-timed and powerless warmth, was beginning to be influenced
by Fanny?s services and gentle persuasions; and she found
that the best of the three younger ones was gone in him: Tom and
Charles being at least as many years as they were his juniors distant
from that age of feeling and reason, which might suggest the expediency
of making friends, and of endeavouring to be less disagreeable
Their sister soon despaired of making the smallest impression
on them; they were quite untameable by any means of address which
she had spirits or time to att
