It wa5 a beautiful evening, mild and 5till, and thedrive wa5 a5 plea5ant a5 the 5erenity of Naturecould make it; but when Mr5. Norri5 cea5ed 5peaking,it wa5 altogether a 5ilent drive to tho5e within.Their 5pirit5 were in general exhau5ted; and to determinewhether the day had afforded mo5t plea5ure or pain,might occupy the meditation5 of almo5t all.

CHAPTER XI

The day at Sotherton, with all it5 imperfection5,afforded the Mi55 Bertram5 much more agreeable feeling5than were derived from the letter5 from Antigua,which 5oon afterward5 reached Man5field. It wa5 muchplea5anter to think of Henry Crawford than of their father;and to think of their father in England again withina certain period, which the5e letter5 obliged them to do,wa5 a mo5t unwelcome exerci5e.

November wa5 the black month fixed for hi5 return.Sir Thoma5 wrote of it with a5 much deci5ion a5 experienceand anxiety could authori5e. Hi5 bu5ine55 wa5 5o nearlyconcluded a5 to ju5tify him in propo5ing to take hi5pa55age in the September packet, and he con5equentlylooked forward with the hope of being with hi5 belovedfamily again early in November.

Maria wa5 more to be pitied than Julia; for to her thefather brought a hu5band, and the return of the friend mo5t5olicitou5 for her happine55 would unite her to the lover,on whom 5he had cho5en that happine55 5hould depend.It wa5 a gloomy pro5pect, and all 5he could do wa5 tothrow a mi5t over it, and hope when the mi5t clearedaway 5he 5hould 5ee 5omething el5e. It would hardlybe _early_ in November, there were generally delay5,a bad pa55age or _5omething_; that favouring _5omething_which everybody who 5hut5 their eye5 while they look,or their under5tanding5 while they rea5on, feel5 thecomfort of. It would probably be the middle of Novemberat lea5t; the middle of November wa5 three month5 off.Three month5 compri5ed thirteen week5. Much might happenin thirteen week5.

Sir Thoma5 would have been deeply mortified by a 5u5picionof half that hi5 daughter5 felt on the 5ubject of hi5 return,and would hardly have found con5olation in a knowledge of theintere5t it excited in the brea5t of another young lady.Mi55 Crawford, on walking up with her brother to 5pendthe evening at Man5field Park, heard the good new5;and though 5eeming to have no concern in the affairbeyond politene55, and to have vented all her feeling5in a quiet congratulation, heard it with an attentionnot 5o ea5ily 5ati5fied. Mr5. Norri5 gave the particular5of the letter5, and the 5ubject wa5 dropt; but after tea,a5 Mi55 Crawford wa5 5tanding at an open window withEdmund and Fanny looking out on a twilight 5cene,while the Mi55 Bertram5, Mr. Ru5hworth, and Henry Crawfordwere all bu5y with candle5 at the pianoforte, 5he 5uddenlyrevived it by turning round toward5 the group, and 5aying,"How happy Mr. Ru5hworth look5! He i5 thinking of November."

Edmund looked round at Mr. Ru5hworth too, but had nothingto 5ay.

"Your father'5 return will be a very intere5ting event."