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Fanny's heart been guarded in a way unsuspected by Miss Crawford, might have been a little harder than
she deserved; for although there doubtless are such unconquerable young ladies of eighteen (or one
should not read about them) as are never to be persuaded into love against their judgment by all that
talent, manner, attention, and flattery can do, I have no inclination to believe Fanny one of them, or to
think that with so much tenderness of disposition, and so much taste as belonged to her, she could have
escaped heart-whole from the courtship (though the courtship only of a fortnight) of such a man as
Crawford, in spite of there being some previous ill opinion of him to be overcome, had not her affection
been engaged elsewhere. With all the security which love of another and disesteem of him could give to
the peace of mind he was attacking, his continued attentions continued, but not obtrusive, and adapting
themselves more and more to the gentleness and delicacy of her character, obliged her very soon to
dislike him less than formerly. She had by no means forgotten the past, and she thought as ill of him as
ever; but she felt his powers; he was entertaining, and his manners were so improved, so polite, so
seriously and blamelessly polite, that it was impossible not to be civil to him in return.
A very few days were enough to effect this; and at the end of those few days, circumstances arose
which had a tendency rather to forward his views of pleasing her, inasmuch as they gave her a degree of
happiness which must dispose her to be pleased with everybody. William, her brother, the so long absent
and dearly loved brother, was in England again. She had a letter from him herself, a few hurried happy
lines, written as the ship came up Channel, and sent into Portsmouth, with the first boat that left the
Antwerp, at anchor, in Spithead; and when Crawford walked up with the newspaper in his hand, which
he had hoped would bring the first tidings, he found her trembling with joy over this letter, and listening
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with a glowing, grateful countenance to the kind invitation which her uncle was most collectedly dictating
in reply.
It was but the day before, that Crawford had made himself thoroughly master of the subject, or had in
fact become at all aware of her having such a brother, or his being in such a ship, but the interest then
excited had been very properly lively, determining him on his return to town to apply for information as to
the probable period of the Antwerp's return from the Mediterranean, etc.; and the good luck which
attended his early examination of ship news, the next morning, seemed the reward of his ingenuity in
finding out such a method of pleasing her, as well as of his dutiful attention to the Admiral, in having for
many years taken in the paper esteemed to have the earliest naval intelligence. He proved, however, to
be too late. All those fine first feelings, of which he had hoped to be the excitor, were already given. But
his intention, the kindness of his intention, was thankfully acknowledged quite thankfully and warmly,
for she was elevated beyond the common timidity of her mind by the flow of her love for William.
This dear William would soon be amongst them. There could be no doubt of his obtaining leave of
absence immediately, for he was still only a midshipman; and as his parents, from living on the spot, must
already have seen him and be seeing him perhaps daily, his direct holidays might with justice be instantly
given to the sister, who had been his best correspondent through a period of seven years, and the uncle
who had done most for his support and advancement; and accordingly the reply to her reply, fixing a very
early day for his arrival, came as soon as possible; and scarcely ten days had passed since Fanny had
been in the agitation of her first dinner visit, when she found herself in an agitation of a higher
nature watching in the hall, in the lobby, on the stairs, for the first sound of the carriage which was to
bring her a brother.
It came happily while she was thus waiting; and there being neither ceremony nor fearfulness to delay the
moment of meeting, she was with him as he entered the house, and the first minutes of exquisite feeling
had no interruption and no witnesses, unless the servants chiefly intent upon opening the proper doors
could be called such. This was exactly what Sir Thomas and Edmund had been separately conniving at,
as each proved to the other by the sympathetic alacrity with which they both advised Mrs. Norris's
continuing where she was, instead of rushing out into the hall as soon as the noises of the arrival reached
them. [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
zanotowane.pl doc.pisz.pl pdf.pisz.pl chiara76.opx.pl
Fanny's heart been guarded in a way unsuspected by Miss Crawford, might have been a little harder than
she deserved; for although there doubtless are such unconquerable young ladies of eighteen (or one
should not read about them) as are never to be persuaded into love against their judgment by all that
talent, manner, attention, and flattery can do, I have no inclination to believe Fanny one of them, or to
think that with so much tenderness of disposition, and so much taste as belonged to her, she could have
escaped heart-whole from the courtship (though the courtship only of a fortnight) of such a man as
Crawford, in spite of there being some previous ill opinion of him to be overcome, had not her affection
been engaged elsewhere. With all the security which love of another and disesteem of him could give to
the peace of mind he was attacking, his continued attentions continued, but not obtrusive, and adapting
themselves more and more to the gentleness and delicacy of her character, obliged her very soon to
dislike him less than formerly. She had by no means forgotten the past, and she thought as ill of him as
ever; but she felt his powers; he was entertaining, and his manners were so improved, so polite, so
seriously and blamelessly polite, that it was impossible not to be civil to him in return.
A very few days were enough to effect this; and at the end of those few days, circumstances arose
which had a tendency rather to forward his views of pleasing her, inasmuch as they gave her a degree of
happiness which must dispose her to be pleased with everybody. William, her brother, the so long absent
and dearly loved brother, was in England again. She had a letter from him herself, a few hurried happy
lines, written as the ship came up Channel, and sent into Portsmouth, with the first boat that left the
Antwerp, at anchor, in Spithead; and when Crawford walked up with the newspaper in his hand, which
he had hoped would bring the first tidings, he found her trembling with joy over this letter, and listening
Page 76
Generated by ABC Amber LIT Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abclit.html
with a glowing, grateful countenance to the kind invitation which her uncle was most collectedly dictating
in reply.
It was but the day before, that Crawford had made himself thoroughly master of the subject, or had in
fact become at all aware of her having such a brother, or his being in such a ship, but the interest then
excited had been very properly lively, determining him on his return to town to apply for information as to
the probable period of the Antwerp's return from the Mediterranean, etc.; and the good luck which
attended his early examination of ship news, the next morning, seemed the reward of his ingenuity in
finding out such a method of pleasing her, as well as of his dutiful attention to the Admiral, in having for
many years taken in the paper esteemed to have the earliest naval intelligence. He proved, however, to
be too late. All those fine first feelings, of which he had hoped to be the excitor, were already given. But
his intention, the kindness of his intention, was thankfully acknowledged quite thankfully and warmly,
for she was elevated beyond the common timidity of her mind by the flow of her love for William.
This dear William would soon be amongst them. There could be no doubt of his obtaining leave of
absence immediately, for he was still only a midshipman; and as his parents, from living on the spot, must
already have seen him and be seeing him perhaps daily, his direct holidays might with justice be instantly
given to the sister, who had been his best correspondent through a period of seven years, and the uncle
who had done most for his support and advancement; and accordingly the reply to her reply, fixing a very
early day for his arrival, came as soon as possible; and scarcely ten days had passed since Fanny had
been in the agitation of her first dinner visit, when she found herself in an agitation of a higher
nature watching in the hall, in the lobby, on the stairs, for the first sound of the carriage which was to
bring her a brother.
It came happily while she was thus waiting; and there being neither ceremony nor fearfulness to delay the
moment of meeting, she was with him as he entered the house, and the first minutes of exquisite feeling
had no interruption and no witnesses, unless the servants chiefly intent upon opening the proper doors
could be called such. This was exactly what Sir Thomas and Edmund had been separately conniving at,
as each proved to the other by the sympathetic alacrity with which they both advised Mrs. Norris's
continuing where she was, instead of rushing out into the hall as soon as the noises of the arrival reached
them. [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]