[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]

children, on a small income.
Much of all this, Fanny could not but be sensible of. She 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 dispatch, did
so much, that the boy was shipped off at last, with more than half his linen ready. She 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
Page 160
Generated by ABC Amber LIT Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abclit.html
friends, and of endeavoring 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 attempt. Every afternoon brought a return of their riotous games all over the house; and she very early
learned to sigh at the approach of Saturday's constant half holiday.
Betsey too, a spoiled child, trained up to think the alphabet her greatest enemy, left to be with the
servants at her pleasure, and then encouraged to report any evil of them, she was almost as ready to
despair of being able to love or assist; and of Susan's temper, she had many doubts. Her continual
disagreements with her mother, her rash squabbles with Tom and Charles, and petulance with Betsey,
were at least so distressing to Fanny, that though admitting they were by no means without provocation,
she feared the disposition that could push them to such length must be far from amiable, and from
affording any repose to herself.
Such was the home which was to put Mansfield out of her head, and teach her to think of her cousin
Edmund with moderated feelings. On the contrary, she could think of nothing but Mansfield, its beloved
inmates, its happy ways. Everything where she now was was in full contrast to it. The elegance,
propriety, regularity, harmony and perhaps, above all, the peace and tranquillity of Mansfield, were
brought to her remembrance every hour of the day, by the prevalence of everything opposite to them
here .
The living in incessant noise was to a frame and temper, delicate and nervous like Fanny's, an evil which
no superadded elegance or harmony could have entirely atoned for. It was the greatest misery of all. At
Mansfield, no sounds of contention, no raised voice, no abrupt bursts, no tread of violence was ever
heard; all proceeded in a regular course of cheerful orderliness; everybody had their due importance;
everybody's feelings were consulted. If tenderness could be ever supposed wanting, good sense and
good breeding supplied its place; and as to the little irritations, sometimes introduced by aunt Norris, they
were short, they were trifling, they were as a drop of water to the ocean, compared with the ceaseless
tumult of her present abode. Here, everybody was noisy, every voice was loud, (excepting, perhaps, her
mother's, which resembled the soft monotony of Lady Bertram's, only worn into fretfulness.) Whatever
was wanted, was halloo'd for, and the servants halloo'd out their excuses from the kitchen. The doors
were in constant banging, the stairs were never at rest, nothing was done without a clatter, nobody sat
still, and nobody could command attention when they spoke.
In a review of the two houses, as they appeared to her before the end of a week, Fanny was tempted to
apply to them Dr. Johnson's celebrated judgment26as to matrimony and celibacy, and say, that though
Mansfield Park might have some pains, Portsmouth could have no pleasures.
|Go to Table of Contents |
Chapter 4 [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]

  • zanotowane.pl
  • doc.pisz.pl
  • pdf.pisz.pl
  • szkla.opx.pl

    •