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CHAPTER I
About thirty years ago Miss Maria Ward, of Huntingdon, with only seven thousand pounds, had the good luck to captivate Sir Thomas Bertram, of Mansfield Park, in the county of Northampton, and to be thereby raised to the rank of a baronet's lady, with all the coe incoreatness of the match, and her uncle, the lawyer, himself, allowed her to be at least three thousand pounds short of any equitable claim to it She had two sisters to be benefited by her elevation; and such of their acquaintance as thought Miss Ward and Miss Frances quite as handso with ale But there certainly are not so e fortune in the world as there are pretty women to deserve them Miss Ward, at the end of half a dozen years, found herself obliged to be attached to the Rev Mr Norris, a friend of her brother-in-laith scarcely any private fortune, and Miss Frances fared yet worse Miss Ward's match, indeed, when it ca happily able to give his friend an incoan their career of conjugal felicity with very little less than a thousand a year But Miss Frances e her fa on a lieutenant of marines, without education, fortune, or connexions, did it very thoroughly She could hardly have made a more untoward choice Sir Thomas Bertram had interest, which, froht, and a desire of seeing all that were connected with hilad to exert for the advantage of Lady Bertram's sister; but her husband's profession was such as no interest could reach; and before he had ti them, an absolute breach between the sisters had taken place It was the natural result of the conduct of each party, and such as a very ie almost always produces To save herself from useless remonstrance, Mrs Price never wrote to her family on the subject till actually married Lady Bertras, and a temper remarkably easy and indolent, would have contented herself withno more of the matter; but Mrs Norris had a spirit of activity, which could not be satisfied till she had written a long and angry letter to Fanny, to point out the folly of her conduct, and threaten her with all its possible ill consequences Mrs Price, in her turn, was injured and angry; and an anshich comprehended each sister in its bitterness, and bestowed such very disrespectful reflections on the pride of Sir Thomas as Mrs Norris could not possibly keep to herself, put an end to all intercourse between them for a considerable period
Their homes were so distant, and the circles in which they moved so distinct, as al of each other's existence during the eleven following years, or, at least, to make it very wonderful to Sir Thomas that Mrs Norris should ever have it in her power to tell thery voice, that Fanny had got another child By the end of eleven years, however, Mrs Price could no longer afford to cherish pride or resentht possibly assist her A large and still increasing family, an husband disabled for active service, but not the less equal to coood liquor, and a very sain the friends she had so carelessly sacrificed; and she addressed Lady Bertram in a letter which spoke so much contrition and despondence, such a superfluity of children, and such a want of al else, as could not but dispose the for her ninth lying-in; and after bewailing the circu their countenance as sponsors to the expected child, she could not conceal how iht be to the futureHer eldest was a boy of ten years old, a fine spirited felloho longed to be out in the world; but what could she do? Was there any chance of his being hereafter useful to Sir Thomas in the concerns of his West Indian property? No situation would be beneath him; or what did Sir Thomas think of Woolwich? or how could a boy be sent out to the East?
The letter was not unproductive It re-established peace and kindness Sir Thomas sent friendly advice and professions, Lady Bertram dispatched money and baby-linen, and Mrs Norris wrote the letters
Such were its immediate effects, and within a twelvee to Mrs Price resulted fro to the others that she could not get her poor sister and her family out of her head, and that,to do th she could not but own it to be her wish that poor Mrs Price should be relieved froreat nu theirl now nine years old, of an age to require ive? The trouble and expense of it to the, coreed with her instantly "I think we cannot do better," said she; "let us send for the child"
Sir Thoive so instantaneous and unqualified a consent He debated and hesitated;—it was a serious charge;—a girl so brought up must be adequately provided for, or there would be cruelty instead of kindness in taking her froht of his own four children, of his two sons, of cousins in love, etc;—but no sooner had he deliberately begun to state his objections, than Mrs Norris interrupted him with a reply to them all, whether stated or not
"My dear Sir Thoenerosity and delicacy of your notions, which indeed are quite of a piece with your general conduct; and I entirely agree with you in theone could by way of providing for a child one had in a manner taken into one's own hands; and I am sure I should be the last person in the world to withholdno children of my oho should I look to in any little matter I may ever have to bestow, but the children of my sisters?—and I am sure Mr Norris is too just—but you know I ahtened froirl an education, and introduce her properly into the world, and ten to one but she has thewell, without farther expense to anybody A niece of ours, Sir Thorow up in this neighbourhood without es I don't say she would be so handsome as her cousins I dare say she would not; but she would be introduced into the society of this country under such very favourable circuet her a creditable establish of your sons—but do not you know that, of all things upon earth, that is the least likely to happen, brought up as they would be, always together like brothers and sisters? It is morally impossible I never knew an instance of it It is, in fact, the only sure way of providing against the connexion Suppose her a pretty girl, and seen by Tom or Edmund for the first time seven years hence, and I dare say there would be row up at a distance froh to make either of the dear, sweet-tempered boys in love with her But breed her up with them froel, and she will never be more to either than a sister"
"There is a great deal of truth in what you say," replied Sir Thomas, "and far be it from me to throw any fanciful impediment in the way of a plan which would be so consistent with the relative situations of each I only ed in, and that to make it really serviceable to Mrs Price, and creditable to ourselves, we ed to secure to her hereafter, as circuentlewouine in expecting"
"I thoroughly understand you," cried Mrs Norris, "you are everything that is generous and considerate, and I aree on this point Whatever I can do, as you well know, I aood of those I love; and, though I could never feel for this little girl the hundredth part of the regard I bear your own dear children, nor consider her, in any respect, so lecting her Is not she a sister's child? and could I bear to see her hile I had a bit of bread to give her? My dear Sir Thomas, with all my faults I have a warm heart; and, poor as I am, would rather denySo, if you are not against it, I rite to my poor sister tomorrow, and make the proposal; and, as soon as et the child to Mansfield; you shall have no trouble about it My own trouble, you know, I never regard I will send Nanny to London on purpose, and she may have a bed at her cousin the saddler's, and the child be appointed to et her from Portsmouth to town by the coach, under the care of any creditable person thatI dare say there is always so up"
Except to the attack on Nanny's cousin, Sir Thoer h less econo was considered as settled, and the pleasures of so benevolent a sche sensations ought not, in strict justice, to have been equal; for Sir Thomas was fully resolved to be the real and consistent patron of the selected child, and Mrs Norris had not the least intention of being at any expense whatever in herreached, she was thoroughly benevolent, and nobody knew better how to dictate liberality to others; but her love of , and she knew quite as well how to save her own as to spend that of her friends Having married on a narrower income than she had been used to look forward to, she had, from the first, fancied a very strict line of econoun as a rew into a matter of choice, as an object of that needful solicitude which there were no children to supply Had there been a faht never have saved herto i a yearly addition to an inco principle, counteracted by no real affection for her sister, it was i and arranging so expensive a charity; though perhaps she e, after this conversation, in the happy belief of being the most liberal-minded sister and aunt in the world
When the subject was brought forward again, her vieere more fully explained; and, in reply to Lady Bertram's calm inquiry of "Where shall the child come to first, sister, to you or to us?" Sir Thomas heard with some surprise that it would be totally out of Mrs Norris's power to take any share in the personal charge of her He had been considering her as a particularly welcoe, as a desirable companion to an aunt who had no children of her own; but he found himself wholly irl's staying with thes then were, was quite out of the question Poor Mr Norris's indifferent state of health made it an impossibility: he could no more bear the noise of a child than he could fly; if, indeed, he should ever get well of his gouty colad to take her turn, and think nothing of the inconvenience; but just now, poor Mr Norris took up everyshe was sure would distract him