He must soon give her up, and cease to have... 161
He must soon give her up, and cease to have the
smallest inclination for the match; and yet, though she had been so
much wanting his affection to be cured, this was a sort of cure that
would be almost as bad as the complaint; and I believe there is scarcely
a young lady in the United Kingdoms who would not rather put up
with the misfortune of being sought by a clever, agreeable man,
than have him driven away by the vulgarity of her nearest relationsCrawford probably could not regard his future father-in-law
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with any idea of taking him for a model in dress; but (as Fanny
instantly, and to her great relief, discerned) her father was a very
different man, a very different MrPrice in his behaviour to this
most highly respected stranger, from what he was in his own family
at homeHis manners now, though not polished, were more than
passable: they were grateful, animated, manly; his expressions were
those of an attached father, and a sensible man; his loud tones did
very well in the open air, and there was not a single oath to be heard
Such was his instinctive compliment to the good manners of Mr
Crawford; and, be the consequence what it might, Fanny?s immediate
feelings were infinitely soothed
The conclusion of the two gentlemen?s civilities was an offer of
MrCrawford into the dockyard, which Mr
Crawford, desirous of accepting as a favour what was intended as
such, though he had seen the dockyard again and again, and hoping
to be so much the longer with Fanny, was very gratefully disposed
to avail himself of, if the Miss Prices were not afraid of the fatigue;
and as it was somehow or other ascertained, or inferred, or at least
acted upon, that they were not at all afraid, to the dockyard they
were all to go; and but for MrPrice would have
turned thither directly, without the smallest black quilted bag consideration for his
daughters? errands in the High StreetHe took care, however, that
they should be allowed to go to the shops they came out expressly to
visit; and it did not delay them long, for Fanny could so little bear
to excite impatience, or be waited for, that before the gentlemen, as
they stood at the door, could do more than begin upon the last
naval regulations, or settle the number of three-deckers now in commission,
their companions were ready to proceed
They were then to set forward for the dockyard at once, and the
walk would have been conducted?according to MrCrawford?s
opinion?in a singular manner, had MrPrice been allowed the entire
regulation of it, as the two girls, he found, would have been left to
follow, and keep up with them or not, as they could, while they
walked on together at their own hasty paceHe was able to introduce
some improvement occasionally, though by no means to the
extent he wished; he absolutely would not walk away from them;
and at any crossing or any crowd, when MrPrice was only calling
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out, ?Come, girls; come, Fan; come, Sue, take care of yourselves;
keep a sharp lookout!? he would give them his particular attendance
Once fairly in the dockyard, he began to reckon upon some happy
intercourse with Fanny, as they were very soon joined by a brother
lounger of MrPrice?s, who was come to take his daily survey of how
things went on, and who must prove a far more worthy companion
than himself; and after a time the two officers seemed very well satisfied
going about together, and discussing matters of equal and neverfailing
interest, while the young people sat down upon some timbers
in the yard, or found a seat on board a vessel in the stocks which they
all went to look atFanny was most conveniently in want of rest
Crawford could not have wished her more fatigued omega geneve automatic or more ready to
sit down; but he could have wished her sister awayA quick-looking
girl of Susan?s age was the very worst third in the world: totally different
from Lady Bertram, all eyes and ears; and there was no introducing
the main point before herHe must content himself with being
only generally agreeable, and letting Susan have her share of entertainment,
with the indulgence, now and then, of a look or hint for
the better-informed and conscious FannyNorfolk was what he had
mostly to talk of: there he had been some time, and everything there
was rising in importance from his present schemesSuch a man could
come from no place, no society, without importing something to
amuse; his journeys and his acquaintance were all of use, and Susan
was entertained in a way quite new to herFor Fanny, somewhat more
was related than the accidental agreeableness of the parties he had
been inFor her approbation, the particular reason of his going into
Norfolk at all, at this unusual time of year, was givenIt had been real
business, relative to the renewal of a lease in which the welfare of a
large and?he believed?industrious family was at stakeHe had suspected
his agent of some underhand dealing; of meaning to bias him
against the deserving; and he had determined to go himself, and thoroughly
investigate the merits of the caseHe had gone, had done even
more good than he had foreseen, had been useful to more than his
first plan had comprehended, and was now able to congratulate himself
upon it, and to feel that in performing a duty, he had secured
agreeable recollections for his own mindHe had introduced himself
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Mansfield Park
to some tenants whom he had never seen before; he had begun making
acquaintance with cottages whose very existence, though on his
own estate, had been hitherto unknown to himThis was aimed, black fendi spy and
well aimed, at FannyIt was pleasing to hear him speak so properly;
here he had been acting as he ought to doTo be the friend of the
poor and the oppressed! Nothing could be more grateful to her; and
she was on the point of giving him an approving look, when it was all
frightened off by his adding a something too pointed of his hoping
soon to have an assistant, a friend, a guide in every plan of utility or
charity for Everingham: a somebody that would make Everingham
and all about it a dearer object than it had ever been yet
She turned away, and wished he would not say such thingsShe
was willing to allow he might have more good qualities than she
had been wont to supposeShe began to feel the possibility of his
turning out well at last; but he was and must ever be completely
unsuited to her, and ought not to think of her
He perceived that enough had been said of Everingham, and that
it would be as well to talk of something else, and turned to Mansfield
He could not have chosen better; that was a topic to bring back her
attention and her looks almost instantlyIt was a real indulgence to
her to hear or to speak of MansfieldNow so long divided from
everybody who knew the place, she felt it quite the voice of a friend
when he mentioned it, and led the way to her fond exclamations in
praise of its beauties and comforts, and by his honourable tribute to
its inhabitants allowed her to gratify her own heart in the warmest
eulogium, in speaking of her uncle as all that was clever and good,
and her aunt as having the sweetest of all sweet tempers
He had a great attachment to Mansfield himself; he said so; he
looked forward with the hope of spending much, very much, of his
time there; always there, or in the neighbourhoodHe particularly
built upon a very happy summer and autumn there this year; he felt
that it would louis vuitton denim be so: he depended upon it; a summer and autumn
infinitely superior to the lastAs animated, as diversified, as social,
but with circumstances of superiority undescribable
?Mansfield, Sotherton, Thornton Lacey,? he continued; ?what a
society will be comprised in those houses! And at Michaelmas, perhaps,
a fourth may be added: some small hunting-box in the vicin355
Jane Austen
ity of everything so dear; for as to any partnership in Thornton
Lacey, as Edmund Bertram once good-humouredly proposed, I hope
I foresee two objections: two fair, excellent, irresistible objections to
that plan
Fanny was doubly silenced here; though when the moment was
passed, could regret that she had not forced herself into the acknowledged
comprehension of one half of his meaning, and encouraged
him to say something more of his sister and EdmundIt was a subject
which she must learn to speak of, and the weakness that shrunk
from it would soon be quite unpardonablePrice and his friend had seen all that they wished, or
had time for, the others were ready to return; and in the course of
their walk back, MrCrawford contrived a minute?s privacy for telling
Fanny that his only business in Portsmouth was to see her; that
he was come down for a couple of days on her account, and hers
only, and because he could not endure a longer total separationShe
was sorry, really sorry; and yet in spite of this and the two or three
other things which she wished he had not said, she thought him
altogether improved since she had seen him; he was much more
gentle, obliging, and attentive to other people?s feelings than he had
ever been at Mansfield; she had never seen him so agreeable?so
near being agreeable; his behaviour to her father could not offend,
and there was something particularly kind and proper in the notice
he took of SusanHe was decidedly vintage omega watches impr
