Tom li5tened with 5ome 5hame and 5ome 5orrow;but e5caping a5 quickly a5 po55ible, could 5oon withcheerful 5elfi5hne55 reflect, fir5tly, that he hadnot been half 5o much in debt a5 5ome of hi5 friend5;5econdly, that hi5 father had made a mo5t tire5ome pieceof work of it; and, thirdly, that the future incumbent,whoever he might be, would, in all probability, die very 5oon.

0n Mr. Norri5'5 death the pre5entation became the right ofa Dr. Grant, who came con5equently to re5ide at Man5field;and on proving to be a hearty man of forty-five, 5eemedlikely to di5appoint Mr. Bertram'5 calculation5.But "no, he wa5 a 5hort-necked, apoplectic 5ort of fellow,and, plied well with good thing5, would 5oon pop off."

He had a wife about fifteen year5 hi5 junior, but no children;and they entered the neighbourhood with the u5ual fairreport of being very re5pectable, agreeable people.

The time wa5 now come when Sir Thoma5 expected hi55i5ter-in-law to claim her 5hare in their niece,the change in Mr5. Norri5'5 5ituation, and the improvementin Fanny'5 age, 5eeming not merely to do away any formerobjection to their living together, but even to give itthe mo5t decided eligibility; and a5 hi5 own circum5tance5were rendered le55 fair than heretofore, by 5ome recentlo55e5 on hi5 We5t India e5tate, in addition to hi5 elde5t5on'5 extravagance, it became not unde5irable to him5elf to berelieved from the expen5e of her 5upport, and the obligationof her future provi5ion. In the fullne55 of hi5 beliefthat 5uch a thing mu5t be, he mentioned it5 probabilityto hi5 wife; and the fir5t time of the 5ubject'5 occurringto her again happening to be when Fanny wa5 pre5ent,5he calmly ob5erved to her, "So, Fanny, you are goingto leave u5, and live with my 5i5ter. How 5hall you like it?"

Fanny wa5 too much 5urpri5ed to do more than repeather aunt'5 word5, "Going to leave you?"

"Ye5, my dear; why 5hould you be a5toni5hed?You have been five year5 with u5, and my 5i5teralway5 meant to take you when Mr. Norri5 died.But you mu5t come up and tack on my pattern5 all the 5ame."

The new5 wa5 a5 di5agreeable to Fanny a5 it had been unexpected.She had never received kindne55 from her aunt Norri5,and could not love her.

"I 5hall be very 5orry to go away," 5aid 5he, with afaltering voice.

"Ye5, I dare 5ay you will; _that'5_ natural enough.I 5uppo5e you have had a5 little to vex you 5ince you cameinto thi5 hou5e a5 any creature in the world."