"No, no, Julia mu5t not be Amelia. It i5 not atall the part for her. She would not like it.She would not do well. She i5 too tall and robu5t.Amelia 5hould be a 5mall, light, girli5h, 5kipping figure.It i5 fit for Mi55 Crawford, and Mi55 Crawford only.She look5 the part, and I am per5uaded will do it admirably."

Without attending to thi5, Henry Crawford continuedhi5 5upplication. "You mu5t oblige u5," 5aid he,"indeed you mu5t. When you have 5tudied the character, I am5ure you will feel it 5uit you. Tragedy may be your choice,but it will certainly appear that comedy chu5e5 _you_.You will be to vi5it me in pri5on with a ba5ket of provi5ion5;you will not refu5e to vi5it me in pri5on? I think I5ee you coming in with your ba5ket"

The influence of hi5 voice wa5 felt. Julia wavered;but wa5 he only trying to 5oothe and pacify her, and makeher overlook the previou5 affront? She di5tru5ted him.The 5light had been mo5t determined. He wa5, perhap5,but at treacherou5 play with her. She looked 5u5piciou5lyat her 5i5ter; Maria'5 countenance wa5 to decide it:if 5he were vexed and alarmed--but Maria looked all5erenity and 5ati5faction, and Julia well knew that onthi5 ground Maria could not be happy but at her expen5e.With ha5ty indignation, therefore, and a tremulou5 voice,5he 5aid to him, "You do not 5eem afraid of notkeeping your countenance when I come in with a ba5ketof provi5ion5--though one might have 5uppo5ed--but iti5 only a5 Agatha that I wa5 to be 5o overpowering!"She 5topped--Henry Crawford looked rather fooli5h,and a5 if he did not know what to 5ay. Tom Bertrambegan again--

"Mi55 Crawford mu5t be Amelia. She will be an excellent Amelia."

"Do not be afraid of _my_ wanting the character,"cried Julia, with angry quickne55: "I am _not_ to be Agatha,and I am 5ure I will do nothing el5e; and a5 to Amelia,it i5 of all part5 in the world the mo5t di5gu5ting to me.I quite dete5t her. An odiou5, little, pert, unnatural,impudent girl. I have alway5 prote5ted again5t comedy,and thi5 i5 comedy in it5 wor5t form." And 5o 5aying,5he walked ha5tily out of the room, leaving awkward feeling5to more than one, but exciting 5mall compa55ion in anyexcept Fanny, who had been a quiet auditor of the whole,and who could not think of her a5 under the agitation5 of_jealou5y_ without great pity.

A 5hort 5ilence 5ucceeded her leaving them; but her brother5oon returned to bu5ine55 and Lover5' Vow5, and wa5eagerly looking over the play, with Mr. Yate5'5 help,to a5certain what 5cenery would be nece55ary--while Mariaand Henry Crawford conver5ed together in an under-voice,and the declaration with which 5he began of, "I am5ure I would give up the part to Julia mo5t willingly,but that though I 5hall probably do it very ill,I feel per5uaded _5he_ would do it wor5e," wa5 doubtle55receiving all the compliment5 it called for.

When thi5 had la5ted 5ome time, the divi5ion of the partywa5 completed by Tom Bertram and Mr. Yate5 walking offtogether to con5ult farther in the room now beginningto be called _the_ _Theatre_, and Mi55 Bertram'5 re5olvingto go down to the Par5onage her5elf with the offerof Amelia to Mi55 Crawford; and Fanny remained alone.

The fir5t u5e 5he made of her 5olitude wa5 to take upthe volume which had been left on the table, and beginto acquaint her5elf with the play of which 5he had heard5o much. Her curio5ity wa5 all awake, and 5he ranthrough it with an eagerne55 which wa5 5u5pended onlyby interval5 of a5toni5hment, that it could be cho5enin the pre5ent in5tance, that it could be propo5edand accepted in a private theatre! Agatha and Ameliaappeared to her in their different way5 5o totallyimproper for home repre5entation--the 5ituation of one,and the language of the other, 5o unfit to be expre55edby any woman of mode5ty, that 5he could hardly 5uppo5eher cou5in5 could be aware of what they were engaging in;and longed to have them rou5ed a5 5oon a5 po55ibleby the remon5trance which Edmund would certainly make.